Police Departments across the country are struggling with a new phenomenon – smart phones and social media are making it easier than ever for drivers to anticipate and avoid speed traps. A plethora of websites, social media platforms and smart phone apps are available to drivers nation-wide predict where and when police are patrolling.

A new class of phone apps has taken the trend even further. Apps such as Escort Live network not just drivers, but compatible radar detectors as well. The app allows a driver’s smart phone and radar to connect to one another via Bluetooth or, in some cases a cable. As long as the smart phone has a 3G or 4G connection, the Escort app will share the location of any radar signal encountered with other uses who have the app installed.

A separate app by Cobra Electronics called iRadar Community can share data collected from several different brands of radar detectors, including those by Cobra Electronics, Escort and Beltronics. The iRadar app is free for users but perhaps not for Cobra Electronics. Escort has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio alleging that Cobra is violating the terms of a previous patent infringement settlement.